Closure for bottles and like containers



June 9, 1953 J. N. STEUART 2,541,375

CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES AND LIKE CONTAINERS Filed July 7, 1949 FIN-II\llllililllll Inventor a By alvr Attorney;

Patented June 9, 1953 CLOSURE FOR BOTTLES AND LIKE a 'oon'mmnns" JamesNoel Steuart, Stirling, Scotland, assignor to Kork-N-Seal Limited,London,

British company England, a.

Application July 7, 1949, Serial No. 103,438 I In Great Britain July 8,19 1 8 1 Claim.

This invention relates to closures for bottles and other like containers"of the kind comprising a flange topped cork adapted to be fitted intothe mouth of the container, the flange being in the form of aperipherally serrated or like metal cap secured to the cork.

In the construction of closures of this kind it has been the practice toattach a wooden peg to the cork by means of an adhesive, the peg fittingwithin an axial bore in the upper end of the cork and having a head ofgreater diameter than the cork about which the metal cap is pressed orcrimped. It has been found, however, that the peg is liable to shrinkageand further that the bond between the peg and the cork is liable to giveway, with the result that rotational movement applied to the cap doesnot always effect corresponding rotational movement of the cork which isnecessary for extraction of the closure from the container. It is anobject of the present invention to avoid this drawback.

According to the invention the metal cap is attached to the cork by aring or like annular member which is secured around the cork and isconnected with the cap in such manner as to prevent relative rotation ofthe ring and cap. This interconnection of the ring and cap mayconveniently be effected by providing n the outer periphery of the ringor like annular member serrations, grooves, splines or the like whichcorrespond to and engage with the serrated or like peripheral portion ofthe cap, the inner end of the cap being inturned about the ring or thelike to hold said two parts against relative axial displacement. Otherserrations, grooves, splines or the like may be provided on the innerperiphery of the ring or the like to hold the latter securely againstrotational movement relatively to the cork.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood, twoembodiments thereof will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows an elevational view of a closure according to theinvention;

Figure 2 shows an axial section through the closure of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an axial section through part of the closure shown inFigures 1 and 2;

Figure 4 is an axial section of an element of the closure shown inFigures 1 and 2;

Figure 5 is a transverse section through the element shown in Figure 4;and

Figure 6 is an axial section through part of the closure of Figures 1and 2 showing a modification of the disclosure of Figure 3.

- Referring to Figures 1 to 5, in which like numerals indicate likeelements, a closure I is shown as consisting of a cork 2 and a metal cap3. In order 'to assemble these two latter elements in non-rotational andfirm relationship a ring 4 is located around the cork and isnon-rotatably engaged with the inner peripheral surface of the cap in amanner now to be described. The ring 4 (see particularly Figures 3 to 5)is of thin sheet or strip metal and is stamped or pressed so as to havea trough or U-shaped cross-section forming inner and outer spacedconcentric annular portions 5 and E5 joined at one end by the fiattransverse and integral intermediate portion 1. The inner portion 5 ofthe ring 4 is formed, on its radially inner face 8, with axiallyextending serrations or splines 9 which, on the ring being pressed overthe end of the cork 2, bed into the cork on being clinched thereinto andsecure the ring against relative rotational movement thereon. The outerannular portion 6 is also formed on its radially outer face Iii withaxially extending serrations or splines II with which are engagedcorresponding serrations or splines (not shown) formed on the inner facel2 of the peripheral portion I3 of the cap 3. This cap 3 is closed atits outer end I4 so as to abut on the outer end 15 of the cork 2 and,after being fitted over the ring 4 with the serrations or splinesrespectively meshing or interlocking, the inner end It of the peripheralportion I3 is bent inwardly and crimped around the fiat intermediateportion 1 of the ring so as to hold the cap against movement axially ofthe said ring. As shown in the drawing, the ring 4 is preferably locatedaround the cork in such a manner as to leave a small annular portion 11of the top of the cork projecting beyond the ring so that, when theclosed end of the cap abuts on the top surface of the cork, the portionll expands over the inner annular ring portion 5 and thereby assists insecuring the ring on the cork. If desired the inner surface of theclosed end of the metal cap and the top surface of the cork may beadhesively joined so as to still further decrease the possibility ofaxial or rotational movement of the cap relatively to the cork.

In the embodiment of the invention above described, the ring is shown asbeing located on the cork with its open annular end, i. e. the open endof the U, directed toward the top of the cork; however, as shown inFigure 6, the ring may, if desired, be located on the cork with thebottom of the U, i. e. the intermediate portion 1, directed toward thetop of the cork 2.

It will be clear that the ring and the co-oper- 2,641,376 .j ,v I

ating peripheral portion of the metal cap may be of any other convenientcross-sectional shape than that above described.

The bottle or like closures constructed in accordance with thisinvention provide a very satisfactory arrangement both as regardssimplicity and cost of manufacture and to the resistance against turningmovement relatively to the cork.

I claim:

A closure comprising in combination a cork and a metal top having a capportion and an annular ring portion surrounding the cork at a regionbelow the top of the cork so as to leave the upper portion of the corkabove the ring free for expansion, said ring portion being of U-shapedradial cross-section, and'having inner and outer annular walls, throughwhich the cork projects, both of said walls being formed with axiallyextending spline-like undulations, the inner wall being clinched intoand around the body 20 of the cork so that the whole of its annular freeedge is pressed into the cork below the upper portion of the cork, andsaid cap portion comprising a top and a skirt depending therefrom, theskirt being provided with indentations co-operating with theindentations on the outer wall of'the ring portion and thelower portionof the skirt being tightly inturned about the lower portion of the saidannular ring portion with the inner portion of the top of the cappressing downwardly on the top end of the cork and causing the upperportion of the cork above the ring to bulge radially outwardly beyondthe inner annular wall of the ring and more effectively secure the ringon the cork.

' JAMES NOEL STEUART.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Merolle July 15, 1941 Number

